A brief introduction to a selection of online and academic resources helpful to understanding the deep and rich history of Tibetan culture, and the many challenges to its future survival — and links to organizations leading efforts to preserve Tibetan culture.
From “Beyond the Land of Snows”
The links below lead to in-depth articles from the program book and guide to “Tibetan Culture Beyond the Land of Snows,” the 2000 Smithsonian Institution exhibition produced in partnership with the Conservancy for Tibetan Art & Culture.
Tibetan Culture Beyond the Land of Snows by Richard Kennedy
“Because Tibet was never colonized by a Western power and remained particularly isolated during the period of Western expansion, it did, in fact, appear to have been perennially cut off from European history In reality Tibet during much of its history was in close commercial and cultural contact with its neighbors and, throughout its history, has played a role in regional affairs. Tibet was a land of merchants, nomads, fighters, and great scholars as well as monks. Little about this side of the country’s history ever reached the West…”
Tibetan Culture in the 21st Century by Bhuchung K. Tsering
“When tracing our cultural heritage, we Tibetans talk about three main sources of influence: for our spiritual tradition we looked towards our neighbor to the south, India; for our culinary tradition towards our neighbor to the east, China; and, for our style of dress we looked towards our neighbor to the northeast, Mongolia…”
Tibetan Buddhism Beyond the Land of Snows
by Matthew Pistono and Jamphel Lhundup
“Padmasambhava, an 8th-century meditation master, firmly established Buddhism in Tibet, the land of snows. Known to Tibetans as Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava prophesied, ‘When the Iron Bird flies and horses run on wheels, Tibetans will scatter like ants and the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) will spread to the West, beyond the land of snows.’…
Nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition by Venerable Lobsang Dechen and Elizabeth Napper
“Buddhism has had a very long and rich history in Tibet since its arrival in the 7th century. Its establishment in Tibet is credited with spurring cultural development and a literate society With Buddhism came monasticism and, from the earliest years, the tradition has included nuns as well as monks…”
Preserving Tibetan Art Beyond the Land of Snows by Kalsang and Kim Yeshi
“Under circumstances of extreme duress, artistic culture suffers greatly as survival becomes peoples most pressing priority. The disruptive events of the 20th century in Tibet destroyed much of the nation’s cultural wealth accumulated over 12 centuries. More than the physical expressions of this great civilization were destroyed, for the upheavals that shook Tibet from 1949 to 1978 also eliminated many of the heirs and practitioners of the great artistic traditions, as well as their supporting institutions…”
Rethinking Tibetan Identity by Losang C. Rabgey
“It is not possible in the space of a few pages to describe fully the tremendous shifts Tibetans in the diaspora have experienced in over 40 years of exile. In that time, we have willingly, and sometimes rather unwillingly, opened our eyes to a plethora of places, peoples, issues, and ways of life… What makes us a diaspora now and not simply a people in exile? It is in part, I would argue, our very diversity. Undoubtedly, we were a diverse people before China occupied Tibet. About the size of Western Europe, Tibet’s difficult terrain on the plateau resulted in a nation with a variety of dialects and customs. But our current diversity of languages spoken, cities lived in, professions pursued, and ideas thought is unprecedented in our 2,000 years of history…”
Tibetan Nomads by Daniel J. Miller
“The Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas, encompassing parts of China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, constitute a vast rangeland area where nomadic pastoralism is still widely practiced. Here, in what is undoubtedly the harshest pastoral area on earth — the Tibetan steppe — nomads still thrive, maintaining a pastoral legacy that is thousands of years old. … Tibetan nomads prosper at altitudes of 11,000 to 17,000 feet in environments too cold for crop cultivation. Yet at these high elevations there is still extensive and productive grazing land that provides nutritious forage for nomads’ herds. Tibetan nomadic pastoralism is also characterized by a unique animal, the yak (Bas grunniens), which is superbly adapted to the high-altitude, cold environment. The wild yak is the progenitor of all domestic yak populations. The domestication of the wild yak, about 4,000 years ago, was an important factor in the evolution of Tibetan civilization…”
Organizations supporting the preservation of Tibetan culture
The Tibet Fund – The Tibet Fund is dedicated to helping Tibetans improve their lives and preserve their distinct cultural, religious and national identity.
Tibetan Children’s Village — an integrated educational community for destitute Tibetan children in exile, as well as for hundreds of those escaping from Tibet every year, TCV has established branches in India extending from Ladakh in the North to Bylakuppe in South, with over 16,500 children under its care.
Men-Tsee-Khang — Established originally in 1916 by the 13th Dalai Lama in Lhasa, Tibet, and re-established by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 1961 in Dharamasala, India, the Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, practice and development of Sowa Rigpa, the ancient Tibetan system of medicine, and providing health care for Tibetan refugees as well as the public in general, through 54 medical branches throughout India.
Norbulingka Institute — Norbulingka Institute is dedicated to preserving and handing down traditional Tibetan arts, such as thangka painting, applique, and sculpture, by providing training, education and employment for Tibetans.
Machik — a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening Tibetan communities through education, capacity building, social entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment and strategies toward sustainable community initiatives.
Tibet House US — Tibet House US aims to promote and preserve Tibetan culture by serving as both a cultural center in New York City and an online global resource for those interested in Tibetan civilization.
International Campaign for Tibet – The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) works to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet.
Tibetan agencies
The Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama — the official website of the Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Central Tibetan Administration Official Website – From its inception, the Central Tibetan Administration has set itself the twin task of rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet.
Office of Tibet – the Official Agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration to the Americas.
Academic and online resources
Library of Tibetan Works and Archive — Beginning with manuscripts carried by refugees escaping the invasion of Tibet, the LTWA has become a repository for significant collections of artifacts, manuscripts and other records, as well as a center for language and cultural education, with audio-visual archives, research & translation bureaus, cultural research and publication departments, and oral history and science departments.
The Tibetan and Himalayan Library — A library, archive, online digital resource of material — including text, audio-video, images, maps, immersive objects, reference works, and interpretative essays — for scholars of Tibetan and Himalayan languages, Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, and Tibetan and Himalayan residents.
Buddhist Digital Resource Center — formerly known as the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center,the BDRC is an online library estimated to already contain 80 percent of the best-known texts of Tibet’s literary heritage from the past 1,300 years, with more than 9 million pages of texts covering traditional medicine, astrology, astronomy, alchemy, art, history, geography, biography, grammar, folk culture, poetics, and extensive philosophical and religious treatises.
Rubin Museum — home of the Project Himalayan Art, an interdisciplinary resource for learning about Himalayan, Tibetan, and Inner Asian art and cultures. A three-part initiative—digital platform, publication, and traveling exhibition—the Project is designed to support the inclusion of these cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia. The project focuses on cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center and Buddhism as the thread that connects the diverse cultural regions.
Himalayan Art Resources — the world’s largest educational resource for Himalayan art and iconography, cataloging over 60,000 images as part of an education and research database and virtual museum of Himalayan art, that exhibits images of art from museum, university and private collections throughout the world, and aims to document all Himalayan art objects that are known through past or present collections or publications.
The Institute of Tibetan Classics — a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of classical Tibetan thought and culture, founded by Thupten Jinpa, PhD.
The Latse Project — a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Tibetan language use and literacy, the exchange of ideas, and providing access to knowledge for Tibetan and Tibetan studies communities by creating and sharing resources. The Latse Project is also home to a research library, and oral history program and a database of over 12,000 bibliographic entries of articles from journals, books, and proceedings published in Tibetan language in the PRC.
Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library – A portal to Tibetan Studies resources on the Web, this site keeps track of leading information facilities in the field of Tibetan studies.
Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies — the official publication of the International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS), which convenes the world’s major conference for Tibetan Studies.
Tibetan Buddhist resources
Teaching Schedule of His Holiness the Dalai Lama — the public schedule of His Holiness the Dalai Lama both in India as well as abroad, from dalailama.com.
BuddhaNet – BuddhaNet is a non-sectarian Buddhist education and information network, offering an online library, worldwide directory of Buddhist centers, study guides, and other resources and services to all Buddhist traditions.
Buddhist Channel TV – a non-for-profit, non-sectarian Buddhist news service, providing daily updates and in-depth coverage.
DharmaNet – DharmaNet is a multi-media resource center for learning about meditation, wisdom and compassionate action, and a directory of Dharma centers and practice groups.
Rigpa Wiki — an online encyclopedia of Tibetan Buddhism, with over 13,000 articles on teachers, practices and lineages.
Shambhala Books — an independent publisher of books on Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, which has grown to include online courses, the archives of Snow Lion.
Lion’s Roar — formery known as Shambhala Sun, an award-winning bimonthly Buddhist magazine, Lion’s Roar offers authentic teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, as well as online courses, podcasts and more.
Tricycle – the home of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first magazine intended to present Buddhist perspectives to a Western readership. Unaffiliated with any particular teacher, sect or lineage, Tricycle offers subscribers online courses from contemporary Buddhist teachers, podcasts, a film club, and more.
Wisdom Books — a publisher of contemporary and classic Buddhist books whose Tibetan Buddhism collection includes essential root texts and teachings from all major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as online courses on contemporary and classic Buddhism, mindfulness, and meditation.
Tibetan news resources
Phayul.com – News and views on Tibet
Radio Free Asia – Radio Free Asia’s mission is to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press.
VOA Tibet News and Features – Voice of America news and features on Tibet, in Tibetan.